Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six Battles and Debates
"There is nothing in my eyes. I pointed out the scenic spots in the Six Dynasties, only the green mountains are like walls." [Nian Nujiao]
In the middle of February of the first year of Jian'an.
Sikong Zhao Wen walked slowly to Chengming Hall, and met Xun You, the attendant, followed by Xiaohuangmen Mu Shun, who came out of the hall. Seeing Zhao Wen, Xun You was not in a hurry to greet him, and said directly: "Sikong
It's just a good time to come. Your Majesty is here at Shiqu Pavilion to discuss important matters with you and me. I'll go with you on the way."
Zhao Wen nodded, and without even entering the palace door, he turned around and walked down the palace steps with Xun You. The two of them were touching each other shoulder to shoulder, and they looked very intimate. Seeing this, Mu Shun deliberately kept the distance behind him, as if he was giving in.
The private conversation space was actually eavesdropping. Zhao Wen had no scruples and asked as he walked: "Are you talking about conquering Shu?"
"Yes." Xun You's voice was unhurried, and he responded briefly: "The weather has warmed up very quickly this year. It's only February, and the north wind is no longer strong. From this point of view, there are indeed drought locusts this year. Fortunately, the court took action early.
Make preparations, otherwise it will be chaos."
"So we have to attack the center of Shu before this, otherwise we don't know when we will be able to find good opportunities in the future." Zhao Wen sighed lightly and said: "After we win Shu, the imperial court will dispatch troops and horses to guard it. You can eat in the local area to share the burden."
Part of the military supplies; and we have to try our best to allocate grain and grass from Shu to the pass. Although the road to Shu is naturally dangerous and the cost is huge, we can't manage much at that time."
"It's still very clear what Sikong can see." Xun You praised from the side.
Zhao Wen's brows twitched, and he couldn't help but move closer to Xun You, and asked in a low voice: "Since we are talking about conquering Shu, then the leader of the army has already been decided by the emperor?"
"Who else is there in Shiqu Pavilion?" Xun You said with a smile: "If I hadn't expected it wrong, it should be him."
"But although he has some fame, he has never led an army. This is too..." Zhao Wen's tone was a little anxious. Halfway through his words, he couldn't help but glance at Mu Shun behind him with the corner of his eye: "
How flippant!"
Xun You's tone was calm. He didn't know whether he had confidence in the emperor or that person, but as he spoke, he said: "Let's see what your Majesty has to say first. If it doesn't work, it won't be too late for us to remonstrate and refuse.
"
Judging from Xun You's expression and tone, it was obvious that he was hiding something, which made Zhao Wen extremely unhappy. He thought that he and Xun You could be said to express their feelings and have the same position on this matter, but in the end, he was still not allowed to admit it at the key point.
trust.
Although it was quite reasonable for Xun You to refuse to be honest with him, Zhao Wen was still a little unhappy. He stopped talking and just nodded to the car attendant who was standing beside the car, and then boarded his own car.
Car driving.
The two of them were silent all the way. After arriving at Shiqu Pavilion, Liu Yao, the new Huangmen servant who was waiting in the corridor, walked in first to report. After staying for a while, he vaguely heard the emperor's voice inside through the door: "Come in, please."
."
As soon as Zhao Wen entered the door, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange. The emperor was not sitting in the main seat as usual, but was sitting in a corner near the window separated by layers of bookshelves and bookshelves. There was only a desk in the corner.
At that time, with the table in front of the emperor as the center, there were six people sitting around, namely General Wang Bin of the Guard, Secretary Cheng Zhu Hao, Secretary Lang Fazheng, Pei Qian, Sima Yi, and a stranger who had not yet met.
The young man who passed by wore the same robe as Fazheng and others and sat at the end.
Except for the emperor, these six people almost all had solemn faces, as if they were arguing or arguing and reaching a stalemate. They did not dare to criticize each other because of the emperor's face.
The emperor held a lacquered bowl with two ears and a moire pattern in both hands, carefully sipping the hot tea inside. Zhao Wen looked at the emperor habitually and saw that he was wearing a dark Yanju uniform, embroidered with dark clouds, dragons, etc.
The gold thread decoration is gorgeous but not gorgeous; the hair is tied with a crown and hairpin, and the black hair is simply pulled up with a hairpin. The young emperor has a good face, although there is still a bit of immaturity between the corners of his eyebrows.
, but he is undoubtedly a qualified emperor with great power.
The emperor slowly put down the tea bowl and raised his lowered eyes. His face was plain, but his complexion was not very good. Zhao Wen did not dare to look at him anymore, and hurriedly withdrew his gaze and knelt down with Xun You.
"No need to be formal, please get up." The emperor's tone was calm, he put the tea bowl on the table, and said to the people sitting in a circle: "Everyone, please move over and make room for Mr. Zhao and Mr. Xun."
This did not require the emperor's personal instructions. From Zhu Hao on down, everyone took the initiative to squeeze aside. Mu Shun added two more couches to the left and right of the emperor, allowing Zhao Wen and Xun You to sit on the table. The formation of Sikong, Zhao Wen and
The general of the guard, Wang Bin, was seated at the left and right of the emperor, and the attendant Xun You, secretary Cheng Zhu Hao and others were seated one after another.
After finishing all this, Mu Shun quietly took a few steps back and hid his body in the shadow of the layers of books. No one paid attention to Mu Shun's move. Only Xun You took another look at him after he sat down.
.
"The road to Shu is as difficult as reaching the blue sky." The emperor pointed to the scrolls covering the entire table and said softly: "In ancient times, when entering Shu, there were roads such as Chencang, Baoxie, Ziwu, etc., as well as Luo Valley, Yu Valley, etc.
Road. Chencang Road has many mountainous valleys, long roads, dangerous road conditions, and the entrance is the farthest from Chang'an; Baoxie and Ziwu Road have many plank roads, but the mountain road is better than Chencang Road, and the distance from Chang'an is acceptable; as for Luo Valley, etc.
Every place has its own merits."
Zhao Wen and Xun You looked closely and found that the scroll on the case was the topographic map of Hanzhong carefully drawn by Pei Qian and others based on Zhao Wen's description. This map was very different from ordinary maps.
There is an arrow with the word 'north' written next to it; below it is a horizontal line with a mileage number written below it. In addition, the mountains and rivers on the picture are no longer just flat, but can be seen from them.
The terrain is undulating and the water flows straight.
It is true as Zhao Wen said to Xun You at the beginning, 'The mountains, rivers and cities of Bashu can be seen before your eyes'.
Xun You nodded, feeling that what Zhao Wen said was true. The sophistication of this picture could be said to be unprecedented. Who could come up with such a production method... He raised his eyes and looked at his secretary Lang Pei Qian.
There will be something extraordinary.
Scale, orientation, terrain, inclination angle, straightness, except for the lack of longitude and latitude lines, this map already has all the features that a later topographical map should have. Although there will be a large error in the actual distance, it is enough for people to understand.
He lined up his troops with it.
The emperor revealed the dispute between the few people just now. It turned out that Fazheng, Sima Yi and others were arguing over which road to choose to go south to Hanzhong. Sima Yi chose the Ziwu Road, which was in average condition and was the closest to Chang'an.
The plank road is the main road, and it has been the official post road for the imperial court to transport Bashu since the ZTE. However, this suggestion was opposed by Fazheng. His reason was that Zhang Lu built a golden garrison at the exit of Ziwu Road. It was spring when the troops were dispatched. When the rain came, the mountain road would be slippery.
Collapse, very vulnerable to losses.
Fa Zheng criticized Sima Yi's idea as being extremely risky, but in fact his own idea was also very risky. His idea was to take Luo Valley, because the opening of this road was relatively close to Chang'an, and the most important thing was that it had the shortest distance.
"Xingshi Mountain is high and dangerous. You only need a few thousand soldiers and horses to camp here. If you have a hundred thousand soldiers, what can you do in the valley?" Sima Yi pointed at the location of Xingshi Mountain on the map and said disdainfully:
"You still said that I was in danger, but I think you are just looking for death!"
"There are very few people in Sichuan who come in and out through Luogu. This place is not as valued as Ziwu, Chencang and other Taoists, and very few people know about it." Fazheng also had his own reasons, saying: "And Luogu and Ziwu
The valley is the same, full of poisonous snakes, and the water and land are difficult and dangerous, but its journey is shorter than Ziwu Road, and it is closer to Nanzheng! I predict that Zhang Lu will dispatch troops and horses to Yangping Pass, Huangjin garrison and other places. As for the soldiers and horses who have never been there before
Luo Valley must be rarely laid out, let alone important passes like Xingshi Mountain!"
"You also said that no large army has ever passed through Luo Valley. It can be seen that this road has never been opened up on a large scale. The mountain road is dangerous and steep. Usually, it is just a small business trip. How can we deploy troops and horses?" Sima Yi asked rudely.
road.
Fazheng said without hesitation: "We only need a few thousand people to rush south first. As long as we capture Xingshi Mountain and set up camps, we can turn the land into our own use and the army can slowly come from behind."